MUNCIE — Allow me to break the ice and re-introduce you to Gwen Hall, a Muncie crossing guard whom WRTV viewers first met in January 1997.
The 69-year-old gained media attention for her unique winter attire, which ultimately left her on thin ice with parents and even Muncie police.
The 21-year veteran could often be found at the corner of Madison and 9th streets, near Garfield Elementary School, wearing shorts and sandals — even in the dead of winter.
“The heat, I cannot stand,” Hall told WRTV reporter Vince Robinson. “I can not stand the hot weather. This is my ideal weather. I completely and totally comfortable. I am not cold, in no way, shape, or form.”
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. According to previous WRTV reports, police were “swamped by calls from concerned citizens.”
Some parents said Hall set a bad example for kids in the district. But Hall turned a cold shoulder to her critics.
“I tell them, that’s their mother’s discretion,” Hall said. “It’s not mine. I do not dress that child.”
A former student even offered Hall his support.
“This lady’s been wearing the same outfit since I was in kindergarten, and it ain’t never caused no wrecks,” Mike Zoldsworthy told WRTV.
So while Jack Frost nipped at Gwen Hall’s nose, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Gwen Hall’s mind about changing her view on the matter.
The only one left out in the cold was Gwen Hall, and that's exactly how she liked it.
